


Me as Me, You as You

by listenup_folks



Category: fifth harmony - Fandom
Genre: F/F, blind!Lauren, deaf!Camila
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 15:01:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10721703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/listenup_folks/pseuds/listenup_folks
Summary: communication -means of connection between people, places, or thingsyou be my eyes and I'll be your ears





	Me as Me, You as You

**Author's Note:**

> watty @ longerr_hours

"Lauser I swear to fuck if you don't-" Dinah knocks but doesn't wait over a second before swinging open her friend's door, expecting it to be necessary to physically pry her out of her bed and to the car.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Lauren cuts in before Dinah can lecture her about being late to another appointment. Not that she wanted to go anyways, she was mainly humoring her best friend because she figured she'd blatantly rejected too many of Dinah's ideas for the girl to still tolerate her.

"You've been majorly late two weeks in a row, not to mention the first few weeks you skipped out on completely..." Dinah trails off and smiles to herself when she sees that Lauren is in fact ready once she barges into her room and not in bed with headphones in as she had suspected.

"Look, I know this isn't exactly something you want to do," Dinah continues and at Lauren's raised eyebrow she huffs before correcting, "at all, not something you want to do at all, but please? For me? Cooperate for just one session, okay? Who knows, maybe you'll like it more than you expect and come crawling with your thankfulness for the experience and forgiveness for the bitterness to yours truly."

Lauren had the gal to snort at that idea, but Dinah shrugs her attitude off and glares despite herself.

"DJ, I can absolutely promise you I'm not going to love it as much as you're hoping, but maybe it won't suck complete camel dick," Lauren decides as she pulls herself up out of bed and reaches around the desk next to the bed in search for her leather jacket until it's found and tugged on.

Dinah sighs as she watches, wanting to point out that it's on the chair and not the desk, but she knows Lauren's attitude would get even more moodier if she tried to help her in something Lauren considered simple. She would continue to debate over this but lately, as in ever since Dinah brought up the group meet, bickering about how sucky it was going to be was all the girls did.

"Well my car is on," Dinah starts, deciding to leave the inevitable bickering for later. She reaches a hand to help Lauren who knowingly bats it away (used to Dinah's offers for help), instead reaching for the door handle herself and allowing Dinah to grab her bag off the door handle and go out first, "so we're not wasting anymore time talking alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lauren groans, and Dinah knows she's not as reluctant as she's acting. Knows her best friend is at least a little bit curious as to whether this session will make any difference.

Dinah also knows Lauren isn't going to accept any help so she doesn't make her cautiousness, obvious, at this point she's developed some good skill when it comes to spotting Lauren without the older girl noticing.

The walk down to Dinah's car is quiet save for their footsteps on the cement stairs, and the first few minutes once they're in the car are silent too, until Lauren breaks it in a voice with a subtle insecurity that Dinah has learned not to coo at.

Her friend is adorable, not her fault if she gets awed by the occasional vulnerability she shows.

"You're staying the whole time, right?" Lauren speaks up, and Dinah can see now that not only is she at least slightly excited, but also nervous as hell.

Lauren had been to a few therapists and a few support groups, but all of them had been the same bullshit and Dinah had been there to cuddle and listen to Lana whenever Lauren needed to not let some tears out over the fact (Dinah never acknowledged the dampening on her shoulder, she knew Lauren's walls were up for a reason and kicking them in any way was something she wouldn't do).

She'd been to most of them with Lauren, and could see on her friend's face when the disappointment settled and when she'd need to make an excuse to get them both out of there. Lauren never let it show how anxious she got leading up to a meeting, and it was usually by sarcasm and negativity, but Dinah knew how to read her like the back of her hand.

She could always see the little ways in which Lauren let it show in her smile and her posture and, well everything really. Dinah was an expert on the different fake tones when Lauren tried to stay bitter over something. She knew the quirk in Lauren's lips and whether or not it was genuine or mocking. She just knew her friend, and she knew that going to so many meetings and being let down was taking a toll on her.

Lauren wasn't too vocal with her thanks, but she'd always give Dinah her debit card to get them ice cream and Dinah knew Lauren was saying it in the best way she could when she let would grasp Dinah's hand for just a moment in her own (plus did Dinah mention she was getting free ice cream? Yeah).

This one however, Dinah had heard about from a close friend of her mothers and she trusted anything that woman told her, so she figured it was of little risk.

She was always as protective over Lauren as she could be and maybe as protective over Lauren as Lauren was over herself, so she wouldn't have though going to this meeting was a good idea unless she was at least 80% sure or higher that it was not going to be a disappointment.

Dinah was really hoping this wasn't going to be another underdog victory for he numbers in her mind.

"I'll be there the whole time," Dinah answers, reaching to place a hand over Lauren's and not taking it personally when the raven haired girl's hand doesn't return any affection. "And hey, if we need to go I already sniped out a convenience store a few blocks over so we can stop their for post ice cream then do whatever you'd like, okay?"

Lauren sighs before nodding shakily, "okay."

The ride is quick, Dinah knows how to get there easily because her mother used to bring her there all the time.

It was a library. The main library room was a somewhat small one, circular with a wrap around glass window. The parts that weren't glass were a dark wood.

From the main entrance, the hall to your right would lead to this library, but the hall to the left led to the dirty bathrooms and a small meeting room, where Lauren was supposed to be in a minute for a therapy type session.

This one in particular was a group, not just a one on one, because Lauren hated the one on ones more than anything in the dark, boring world - her words not Dinah's.

"Okay... pulling up now," Dinah speaks as she makes the final turn into the small lot that's half empty, half full, not using Lauren's handicapped pass to park because she knows how much her friend hates using it.

"Eight minute rule, okay?" Lauren says as she feels the car stop and Dinah agrees easily to the rule they'd made a few years ago, when they first started coming to these in which they leave after eight minutes if it's sucky. Eight minutes is apparently long enough to determine whether or not something is worth it.

"As always Lo," Dinah agrees and opens the door for herself before realizing she'd left Lauren's stuff in the back and reaching behind her to pull it forward.

"Dinah I don't need-"

"Lo it's not like they're not going to know you're blind," Dinah interrupts with a shrug, putting the folded cane into Lauren's hand who reluctantly lets her. "It's legit a support group for things like this, once you get talking you can't just play it off like you're here for support."

"I could tell them I have a friend with a severely low IQ that I'm here to support," Lauren deadpans as she pulls herself out of the car and Dinah gasps in faux offense, moving along to the other side of the car to lock arms with Lauren's empty handed side.

"The nerve," Dinah huffs.

She lets Lauren guide them too the door, she just has to point her in the right direction first.

-

"No mom, we're not on our way yet," Normani mumbles into the phone that's pressed between her ear and shoulder.

"Yes mom we're actually going. No it's not an excuse to go out- mom when was the last time we went out? It's Mila for fuck's sake that girl could - shit sorry - damn it my bad, I guess I don't have a filter," Normani shrugs, blushing and fumbling to keep up with all of the hair she's trying to braid.

"Mom I've gotta call you back we're running late already and-" Normani pauses for a second to pull one hand free from Camila's longs hair to check her phone for the time, "fuck yeah we've gotta get moving or we're - I said sorry already I can't help it mom, look I'll call you later, okay? Yeah, yeah love you too," Normani huffs and taps the end call before tossing her phone to the bed beside Camila so she can focus on her hair.

Camila is grinning sheepishly at her through the mirror they're facing, trying to bite her lip to hold it back but obviously not succeeding as she breaks into small giggles.

"What you get better at that voodoo shit?" Normani asks with a smile, not being able to hold one back when she sees her best friend fall into a fit of laughter, even if it does make her braiding messier toward the end of the tail. "Don't laugh at me Mila."

Camila shrugs but keeps giggling to herself as Normani finally finishes this the band to end the braid and pulls away to grab for her phone again.

One look at her phone is enough to remind her that they're late and she flashes it to Camila who's face drops at the thought of not only being new but being new and late.

"We better get a damn move on girl," Normani says once Camila's up and grabbing for her own wristlet.

It's quiet after that, both girls shuffling to grab everything they could possibly need and then some before Normani is left standing at the door, looking at her frantic friend with a 'come on' expressions until Camila finally turns to face her and snaps back to reality, grabbing a sweatshirt off her bed and running out the door, leaving a smiling Normani to follow after.

The two had been best friends since they weren't even a full year old, and now at seventeen they were closer than ever. Actually, not really, they'd been insanely close forever is a better way to put it, and Normani is always just as fond of her best friend even in moments like this when she should be annoyed by her nature to be and/or to make them late for everything.

Once in the car, Normani puts on Ed's new album because she knows Camila is obsessed with the lyrics, and makes sure it's as loud as it can be without making the neighbors call a complaint since they are driving in a residential area still.

She doesn't really care if they complain though, not when she sees Camila happily tapping along on the window to the vibrations the car is making.

Normani sings loudly and goofily to fill he silence for herself, and Camila laughs and dances along just as embarrassingly when she notices Normani's movement out of the corner of her eye.

It was her idea to come to this meeting but in the beginning, when Camila's accident was still fresh and they were trying to be as normal as they could be for two twelve year olds in a sucky situation, she never understood why Camila came to these.

Sure, it was support and stuff but Camila couldn't really participate. Normani always ended up speaking for her and later retelling any interesting stories that Camila had missed. Sometimes Camila went without Normani and the older girl wondered if she had someone else talk for her or if she just sat there. She was never rude about it (at least she doesn't think, but actually twelve year olds are all dicks so she might've been), but she did ask Camila after breeching the question a few times why she did go.

Camila wrote her an essay to answer (which knowing Camila, Normani should have seen coming). She explained how she felt like svn though nobody really paid much attention to her, she was with people who were going through similar things. Not too similar, but they understood what it was like to be at a disadvantage. it was long, and kind of made Normani feel like a bad friend for even needing an explanation.

Being happy simply with a group of strangers who just so happen to have one thing in common with you, even if none of them pay you any mind, is such a Camila thing to do it doesn't need anymore questioning from Normani.

Normani has never been to the building, and only been to a few meetings with Camila, but when she pulls up to the small office that she'd written the address to, she can't help thinking it's not what she'd suspected.

A library? What type of support group meets in a children's library? That's what Normani though it was at least. She didn't remember the address of the directions, but the building is vaguely familiar and the only explanation she can think of is that she came here as a child.

Camila wastes no time hopping out of the car though once it's stopped. And she wastes even less time furrowing her eyebrows then going to pull Normani up too, seemingly not shocked by the location and it makes sense when Camila tugs her towards the door then leads her in the other direction.

Maybe she looked more into this place than Normani did since she seems to know more about it. Which is probably good, since Normani just saw a flyer in school and thought it might be a cool idea for Camila to go to.

There's a set of double doors with a "Do not disturb" sign on one of the doors with "group in session" written in messy hand writing on the bottom.

Camila smiles nervously and Normani squeezes her hand in reassurance before letting herself be pulled towards the doors.

**Author's Note:**

> an, so I had this idea and I have school in like three hours to be up for but yeah. Idk how long this'll be but feedback is always appreciated
> 
> I might make it a long one shot with this intro, but i might make it a miniseries? any preferences? pls let me knowy (also I'm so busy lately so i might not actually follow through with updating for a while but I will)


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